Whenver I’m at beauty counters trying out new makeup or skincare, or at a spa ready to have a facial, I’m often asked this question “what type and brand of skincare do you use and are currently using?“. Often I feel as though they’re expecting me to answer with just one brand and I find myself reciting a list of brands and products (even more when I’m trialling new products).

This got me thinking – do you stick to just one brand across the entire skincare regime or use different brands for different products?

I first started on my skincare regime at the age of 11. That was when I hit puberty and my skin went from good to completely nutters. Before I learned about moisturisers, I used a lot of Biore facial cleansers. It wasn’t long after when Biore started to launch their range of moisturisers too. I thought since I was already using Biore cleansers, might as well use their moisturiser too.

When Mum introduced Clinique to me at around 13, I thought it was such a posh brand. Heck, my friends were on Biore, Ginvera, etc and there I was, using oh-so-fancypants Clinique! Of course, I accidentally-on-purpose neglected to mention the fact that everything I used were gift with purchases and that my mum didn’t actually buy them for me. But why get technical, eh?

In hindsight, there was absolutely no need for me to stick purely to Clinique at that time. I thought the toner was far too strong and drying for my oily and pimply skin. The bar soap was drying too (think squeaky detergent-like clean) and secretly thought that the Biore ones I used were better. I did like the yellow lotion though. So I adamantly and religiously used only Clinique products without switching to anything else or to other brands because I was told that in order for the skincare products to work best, they have to be used TOGETHER.

I’m sure you’ve seen labels on heaps of beauty products that say “best results when used with X of the same brand”. They may be right because in the process of developing the products in the same range, certain ingredients complement each other. More likely than not, they will not contain ingredients that will counteract each other’s benefits. Having said that, it’s not strictly necessary to pair products like that anymore. Just compare the list of ingredients and you’ll be able to use other products that roughly contain the same ingredients and still achieve optimum results.

There’s no need for products to work best when paired in the same range and brand, at least, not anymore. That’s like websites telling you that they’re best viewed on Internet Explorer or Firefox (or worse, that they can only be viewed on those browsers). I’m not a fan of web developers who practise this just like I’m not keen on brands or products that specify that it can only work better if paired with other products in the same range of the same brand. It’s a marketing strategy that makes consumers buy more from the brand when it could be those other products of the same range and brand may not work well on the skin. You may break out from the “best results when used with” item, who knows?

You should be able to mix and match products that you feel give you the best results for your skin. If using different products from different brands that form your skincare routine gives you great results on your skin, who’s to say that you must stick to one brand and the same range? The results on your skin tell all.

When it comes to skincare, there’s no definitive answer. I can’t tell you that using serum A from brand X with moisturiser B from brand Y works the best because every combination works differently on different skin types. There’s a finite amount of skincare products to try out. It’s up to you to do a trial and error on different products to find out what works best for you.

What about you? Does your skincare routine stick to just one brand or do you use different brands across your regime? Do you think it’s necessary to mix and match or does staying with one brand work for you? By the way, there are no right or wrong answers here. To each skin type his/her own.

My beauty routine is a complete mishmash of different brands! I much prefer to mix and match, as there is no one brand where I like every product in the range. Occasionally I will buy a few products from the one range to use together, but it’s usually for a targeted issue, like treating my skin when my allergies are playing up.

I am a mix and match my skincare regime although I admit that when I first started proper skincare routine, I bought the entire set from Estee Lauder. That was because everything was new to me – toner, serum, moisturizer. For a skincare delinquent like me for most of my adult years, it was a lot easier and simpler to get everything from the same counter and the BA could tell me in detail, lable and step by step as opposed to me bringing my serum to another counter to purchase moisturizer etc. and ask how to sequence the product usage. Yes, I was that duh not too long ago

That was possibly 1.5 years ago but I have since, ahem, evolved thanks to beauty bloggers like you and some others that I normally haunt. I now mix and match my skincare products and in some ways, trial and error with a combination of brands. I reckon that’s the way to go as I was a super late bloomer. With so many brands and products out there and only 1 face and 1 lifetime which could be short, I want to try and explore as much as I can. I still use most of Estee Lauder products as “base”, i.e. cleanser, moisturizer and serum. However, on some alternate days, I use other serum and moisturizer (which could be GWP from purchases of other brands). So far, touch wood, all is good.

I think using the same brand for all skincare products to achieve the optimal efficacy may work for some products still. But with the innovation of skincare products these days, the “one brand across all products” motto might not work that well anymore. It is like dressing from head to toe in the same shade as opposed to the modern concept of matching only shoes and handbag colour

I used to be like you sticking to one brand. I started using the “branded” stuff when I went for my first non-friend facial (my friend is a beautician at a neighbourhood salon and did my facials) with a salon that specialised in products from Clarins. So I used only their products at the time. I still kept to the same brands whenever I switched brands thinking it’ll be more effective you know. Now, well, I’m older, wiser and know that it isn’t necessary. I use a variety of brands for my face, depending on what the product is used for. Smarter now you see Norlin recently posted..Fashion Day Feature: Nicole Jenkins from Circa Vintage

I usually go for just one brand because I have a bit of an OCD (no, really)..

It also just so happens that I feel the products serve their purpose more effectively when I use the entire line from one brand. Case-in-point is the Kiehl’s Blue Herbal line (which I swear by)—total lifesaver from pimples. I do use other products not from the Blue Herbal line, but they’re also from Kiehl’s.

When I mix other brands in my routine, it’s just if and only if there is no product in the product line I am using that serves the exact same purpose. For example, I use St. Ives Blemish & Blackhead Control Apricot Scrub to exfoliate my face 2-3 times a week, because there’s no facial scrub in Kiehl’s Blue Herbal line. Erika recently posted..FOTD Flashback: MAC Kinda Sexy and Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Exposed (15/09/2013)

Hahaha good to know Erika! Hey, if it works for you, it works for you. If it ain’t broken, don’t fix it. I gotta check out that Blue Herbal line from Kiehls that you mentioned. My skin’s been breaking out like crazy the past couple of weeks. Sigh.

I am a mixer-a-matcher!
haha i really like your post, and I have always wondered whether using the same brand presents better results then mixing. But it is obviously just marketing.
For my face I am happy to mix and match but for hair care I always stick to one – weird right? haha
thanks for your post ^^Penn recently posted..Colour Theory Nail Polish Review

Back in the day, long long time ago, maybe. These days, I don’t think so. A lot of it has to do with marketing. “This shampoo will work best with the accompanying conditioner!” or “best results for this serum used with X moisturiser”. So I pay more money to get the accompanying product which may or may not work for me. With that I say … PFFFTTT

PS: Although, having said that, I like my shampoos and conditioners to match just so they look like a pair on my bathroom shelf

I like the idea of sticking to a single range, as it appeals to my slight OCD side of having nice bottles lined up in the bathroom, but tbh, with regards to actual results, I’ve found picking a choosing really does work best. Plus you sometimes need different things at different times of year/the month/whenever, so mixing it up a bit sometimes means going outside a specific range for off the wall, crazy confused skin needs! Hilary recently posted..Another teaching update

I’m not a person that stick to the same brands of skincare products. I’m still use different products from different brands. And till now I still could not stick to one product from one brand. I still tend to experiment different skincare products from different brands at the moment. Is it I’m still in the stage in finding correct skincare products?

My mum got me my own Clinique set when I was 15 and I’ve never looked back. Now that I’m older I use serums and anti-ageing skin care from different brands but I tend to stick to brands that I know and trust because I’m prone to skin sensitivity and don’t want to risk breakouts =(

I’m on the look out for a new facial sunscreen though, do you have any suggestions? =) ♥

I know what you mean. I started out with Clinique and I go back to it every now and then. There will be other brands that I really like but I’ll always go back to Clinique for that Visible Skin Renewer serum which I love.
As for facial sunscreen, I like the Asian brand ones which you can’t get in stores easily unfortunately. Still, good ones to try is Clinique’s (see, back to it :)) City Block sunscreen, Sunsense Invisible Tint or Dr Lewinns Facial Moisturisering Lotion SPF30. They’re pretty good!

Thanks for the suggestions Tine, I love the Cityblock too but I wan’t to try something different (I’m in my adventurous phase again haha) I’ll check our the ones you suggested.Sunshine recently posted..Movember Mustache Nails

I try to find brands I like then tend to use a few of their products, I’m not particularly fussy about using everything from the same brand though, at the moment I’m using four different brands for skincare

I usually mix and match my products as not every product of a particular brand would be best for my skin. I do tend to have a few staple products which I always re-purchase since I am comfortable with the effects of it on my skin. Two products that will be my staple for a long time would be the B.Liv Off With Those Heads (I have to thank you for this serum :-)) and the Shiseido SPF50 sunscreen.

I am a brand person, but I do mix within the brand. I use SANA’s Nameraka Honpo Soy milk Isoflavone lines. There are different types within the brand (Regular, Q10, Arbutin, Retinol, B12) and I mix & match within those.

I started with the Clinque three step system and I can’t believe they still sell it today. I thought the products were awful and made my acne prone skin worse.

I also feel a bit guilty when an Esthetician asks what I used. So I just say ‘everything’, which is true .. I try everything at least once and then go back to my normal stuff. I’ve been using Neutrogena’s foaming face wash (in the blue bottle) forever.

To be honest, as much as I love Clinique, it really is high time they reformulate their 3-step system. They reformulated the yellow lotion, which is good, but the rest still needs a lot of work. A number of their facial cleansers are too strong (Rinse off foaming cleanser and bar soaps are far too harsh and drying) and the toners are too clarifying. They were very popular for their 3-step system and if they want to keep that going, those have to change.

i’m such a mishmash of brands too! i like it better that way i think. I’m sure there are great skincare ranges, but i love to try new stuff so I just can’t help it!Joyce (bronzerbunny) recently posted..October Beauty Purchases

I mix and match but only if I’m very sure of the ingredients in the products I’m using. That way, I can be assured that I’m not doubling up on actives and also that I’m not missing out on anything important. I also make sure to layer them properly so I’m not, for example, layering water-based products over oil-based.

I think mixing and matching is fine when it just comes to simple hydration/balancing products. When you are talking about highly concentrated active incredients, mixing and matching might still be ok provided you really, REALLY know what you’re doing!

Yeah, that was something I learned and that is to be sure that the active ingredients don’t counteract each other. The ones I layer are just hydrating serums with no retinol, AHAs, etc. I wouldn’t even dare mix them!

About Tine

Thirty-something. Gemini. Happily married. Mum to a furkid. Loves shopping. Has an unhealthy adoration for makeup, bags, shoes and chocolate. Believes that sunscreen should be a religion. Hates baked beans with a vengeance. Thinks that the weekdays should be a weekend long, vice versa. Optimistic. Narcissistic. Not the average Jane. (wait, there's more!)

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